The Pearl How Greed Destroys People
The Pearl - How Greed Destroys PeopleEver since Midas’ lust for gold, it appears that man has acquired a greed and appetite for wealth. Juana, the Priest, and the doctor in John Steinbeck’s novel “The Pearl” have all undergone a change due to money. They are all affected by their hunger for wealth and in turn are the base for their own destruction, and the destruction of society. Steinbeck’s “The Pearl” is a study of man’s self-destruction through greed.
Juana, the faithful wife of Kino, a paltry peasant man, had lived a spiritual life for what had seemed like as long as she could remember. When her son Coyotito fell ill from the bite of a scorpion, she eagerly turned towards the spiritual aspects of life, beginning to pray for her son’s endangered life. The doctor, who had resided in the upper-class section of the town, refused to assist the child, turning them away when they arrived at the door. Lastly, they turned to the sea to seek their fortune. When Juana set sight on the “Pearl of The World,” she felt as though all her prayers had been answered. If she could have foreseen the future, what she would have seen would have been a mirror of her reality. Juana’s husband was caught in a twisted realm of mirrors, and they were all shattering one by one. In the night he heard a “sound so soft that it might have been simply a thought…” (Pg. 48) and quickly attacked the trespasser. This is where the problems for Juana and her family began. The fear that had mounted in Kino’s body had taken control over his actions. Soon even Juana, who had always had faith in her husband, doubted his motives greatly. “It will destroy us all,” (Pg.50) she cried as her attempt to rid the family of the pearl had failed. Kino had not listened, however, and soon Juana began to lose her spiritual side and for a long time she had forgotten her prayers that had once meant so much to her. She had tried to help Kino before too much trouble had aroused, only to discover that she was not competent enough to help.
A Hippocratic oath is said before each medical student is granted a doctorate. In the oath, they swear to aid the ill, and cure the injured. “Above all else, do no harm” is its primary promise. In the village of La Paz, there lived a doctor who had earned his wealth by helping those that were ill and could afford his services. Not once in his long career would he have dared refuse to aid a wealthy lawyer or noblemen. However, when Kino and the group of money hungry peasants arrived at his door with a poisoned child, he had refused them entry, saying “Have I nothing better to do than cure insect bites for `little Indians’? I am a doctor, not a veterinary.”...
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